Alive
by Calvin Wong
Summary: Mira finds out what it really means to be alive. Rated PG-13 for violence and discussion of certain bodily fluids.
1. Default Chapter

**ALIVE**

There was a butterfly on the windowsill. Its pale yellow wings reminded Mira of something she couldn't quite remember. She was caught up in the moment of looking at it for a while, then remembered why she was here.

She raised the scope to her eye and slowly moved her head. From the kneeling position she was in, she was pretty well protected by the wall. Her head raised for a brief second, adjusting her arms before returning her view to the scope. She closed her left eye, letting the thin black lines on the scope dominate her vision.

A flash of yellow stung her brain as the butterfly flew away, flying in front of her scope. She opened her eyes in surprise as the creature drifted away from her face, flying in a perfectly straight line. Her hands lowered, bringing the weapon down with them.

There was a _twing_. The butterfly exploded as the wall beside her head grew an arrow, jutting outwards at an extreme angle. Mira immediately leaned out, scope to eye, and let off her one shot. The arrow flew outwards. It made a disappointing _thick_ as it impacted with the soft ground. The foliage ruffled slightly as the sniper fled.

_'Damn.'_ She thought, reaching for her second arrow. She pulled away from the window, drawing back the bow string as fast as she could. There was a click as she locked the string in place and fitted in her second shot.

_'Out. The house isn't safe.'_ She ran down the stairs quickly, taking them two at a time. Raced past the table, and slammed her body into the door, which relented willingly. The door crashed open, and she was outside.

Wood shattered beside her as another arrow stuck itself in the door. She dropped the bow and hit the ground rolling, her momentum from her previous run carrying her to the relative safety of a bush. She decided there and then not to get up.

_'Three. Two. One...'_

A third arrow flew through the air and smashed into a tree trunk behind her, at about her chest-level had she been standing. She instantly ran for her bow, grabbing it from the ground by the stock, running low, and made it back into the house.

_'Think.'_ Mira said to herself. _'How do I do this?'_

Training kicked in and she slowly made her way back to the doorway. Bending down at the mouth of the door, she slowly spread her left hand, clutching her crossbow tightly in her right. She slowly moved towards the doorway, holding her left hand in front of her. Filled with trepidation, she stuck her entire forearm out of the door in a single stroke, hoping to catch her opponent's snapshot instinct off guard. She began to focus her Tangean abilities.

Her powers didn't quite activate fast enough as the arrow impaled her hand, sending her entire arm flying backwards and around in a circle. She screamed, and the momentum carried her backwards a bit as pain flooded through her. She immediately leaned her whole body out of the door, and closed her eye. Looking through the scope from arm's length, she fired, the recoil sending her body backwards.

There was a brief shout from the direction of the forest, and she knew her plan had worked. She'd bought herself some time, so she backed herself up against the wall and stopped to look at her hand and assess the damage.

'Shit.' She said through clenched teeth, looking at a foot long arrow embedded in her hand.

The arrow had entered at a very acute angle, entering between her knuckles and exiting near her wrist. The arrowhead protruded from the back of her wrist. Her cool blue skin contrasted with the color of the blood streaming out steadily from both sides of the wound. Grabbing the arrowhead between two fingers, she pulled, and winced. until she could see the shaft of the arrow. Setting down her bow, she drew her knife and cut off the blood-soaked titanium arrowhead. She put her knife back in its place and pulled the arrow out in one swift movement.

She immediately regretted the decision as a shooting pain swept through her. She grit her teeth down bur an 'Arr!' escaped her throat. She continued to growl as she gripped her hand at the wrist, trying to stem the flow of blood.

There was quite a lot of it.

Mira had no problem firing a bow with one hand. She would, however, have problems loading it.

She picked up the bow and gripped the stock between her thighs, the scope pushing against her pelvis. She pulled back the drawstring. The bow touched the floor as she continued to cock the weapon, the attached scope hampering her a bit. When it finally clicked, she reached for an arrow and placed it in its firing slot, then jammed it in with her fist.

Mira was small-built. The amount of blood flowing out of her hand was amazing. She wiped some of the blood with her jumpsuit sleeve and spit on the entry wound. Saliva was a natural antiseptic, they taught you at the Academy. She worked up some more and spit on the gash on her wrist. She spread it around a little and looked out of the door.

He wasn't dead.

She stood up, and walked out of the house.

Bow in front of her in a ready to fire position, she took one step forward, blood dripping onto her foot. Another step. Another.

Her tension mounted. Her heart raced. As. She. Heard. A. _Thwing._

The arrow flew. Straight towards her head. Instincts screamed at her.

Duck. Sidestep. Dive.

_'None of the above, thank you.'_

She raised her bow at arm's length. The arrow continued on its course.

Adrenaline pumped. The world slowed, and everything blurred save the fifth and final arrow, flying towards her. She lined up her bow with the incoming shot.

Her arm stopped moving. She waited.

The arrow impacted on the first lens of her scope, flying through the thin cylinder of air that separated the two lenses.

She fired.

Her arrow flew into the air. Less than a centimeter away from the one heading towards her skull.

The second lens broke. The arrow continued on, spinning menacingly.

It touched her skin, and passed harmlessly between her eyes. The arrow flew through her skull, through her brain, and out the other side. She relaxed her powers.

She heard a thud behind her as the arrow buried itself in the door frame, and lowered her bow.

Mira felt faint. She looked down at the large puddle forming at her feet and began to walk forward. She couldn't feel anything except the pain in her hand.

She couldn't have lost too much blood.

Could she?

She stepped over to her opponent's corpse, the arrow buried in his neck.

'Not good enough.' She said, taking the arrow from his throat. 'Good try, Buzz.'

The world turned off.

'That's thirty you owe me.' Mira said as they stepped out of the simulator.

'Do not.' Buzz said. 'Twenty-five. Tops.'

'Nope.' Mira shook her head. 'Thirty.'

'Are you sure?' Buzz asked.

'Positive. Besides.' Mira said. 'Would I lie to you?'

'Hmph.' Buzz said. There was silence as they walked. Buzz always lost. 'Why did I even let you talk me into these games?' Buzz asked as they made a corner. Mira shrugged. 'If we wager on training modules I understand, but this?'

'I enjoy it.' She said, shrugging.

'You enjoy getting arrows stuck in various body parts?' He raised an eyebrow.

'No.'

'Then what?' Buzz demanded.

'I dunno.' She said. 'The best reason I guess would be the way it makes me feel.'

'Sadistic?' Buzz asked sardonically.

'No.' Mira said, thinking for a while. 'It makes me feel... more...'

'More what?' Buzz asked.

'Alive.' Mira said with a smile as the right word came to mind. 'More alive.'


	2. After Word

AFTER WORD

The idea for this story actually came to me while I was having one of my more violent daydreams. I imagined Buzz and Mira duking it out (Don't ask me why; the incessant 'Princess' remarks I think should have peeved her enough to make her want to kill him... Even on a simulator level.

Arrows are just plain cool. Answers another question.

There is actually another story like this coming out. The difference is that there actually is a plot, and it's a heckuva lot longer. Some of you complained about the length of this one. I already have the first part done. I'd release a chapter but I know someone is going to complain.

I was experimenting with a new style of writing with this one actually. Finally, English class comes in handy. I hoped you liked it.


End file.
